jmordetsky again

If 95% of players don't know the meaning of the word in your sdesc, then you simply aren't communicating. Why are you so excited not to communicate in a text mud?

Quote from: "moab"

So a word is not obscure until there is a poll on that word and 95% of the people on the mud haven't heard of it?

Olaf was trying to come up with a definition, since noone else was offering one up...and then explained further, moab. Don't take things out of context. Seriously, if noone knows what you mean with a word while playing a text-based game where words are the only thing you have to communicate with...do you really not want to communicate?

The real question is who decides if 95% of the mud doesn't know a word and can you ever really be accurate when making that call? I believe you can't. You couldn't for me, and a few others that have posted.

The problem is there is a distinct portion of the playerbase has voiced that the use of what we would "call more desciptive adjectives" is an attempt at being more communicative, not less, which I provided an example of in my previous rant.

Really to me, this discussion is coming down to LOD's post about how jaring word are due to their context. And don't get me wrong I understand the intent, but I don't think it's something that can be policed without creating a more jarring end all effect.

It's obvious who will decide, that that is the staff. This is just where we discuss and voice our own opinions. I think that limiting the more ridiculous words, the improperly used words, the words with no explanation in context and the words that are simply verbal masturbation or picked JUST to be unique...is a good thing. I want creativity to abound, but think we also need to communicate.

Logged

Quote from: Malifaxis

We need to listen to spawnloser.

Quote from: Reiteration

spawnloser knows all

Quote from: Spoon

A magicker is kind of like a mousetrap, the fear is the cheese. But this cheese has an AK47.

That's wonderful. Surrender all thought and decision making to authority. Forget defending your own argument. If the authority says so, then it must be so. Right?

It's attitudes like that which lead to this...

Quote from: "U.S. Brigadier General William Looney, War Criminal and Homicidal Psychopath (commenting on United States terrorism against Iraq)"

If they turn on their radars we're going to blow up their goddam SAMs [Surface to Air Missiles]. They know we own their country. We own their airspace... We dictate the way they live and talk. And that's what's great about America right now. It's a good thing, especially when there's a lot of oil out there we need."

Quote from: "Adolph Hitler"

How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think.

jmordetsky?

Policing the use of words is being asked for by people for those instances when someone is NOT communicating well. How is this a bad thing?

He's cheering because of this:

Quote

and the words that are simply verbal masturbation or picked JUST to be unique...is a good thing

Let's say you were staff. Don't take this personally, this is just based on how stern some of your posts are worded on the subject, but I wouldn't want you personally deciding what was verbal masturbation and what wasn't.

To take that further I really don't want the overhead of having to explain defend and appeal my choices.

I just don't think it's big enough of a problem to invite the negatives. There are bigger ones to be dealt with.

Here's another example I had an offline discussion with somone on this re: the sdesc "The leaking, yellow-skinned man".

And they were like, "That's wrong. Leaking is a verb." The chars mdesc was filled with references to weeping sores.

Is this man really leaking? Like a cracked flower pot? No. Is this incorrect for the mdesc? No. Would it be flagged under the "new" rule? I think it might and I don't want it to be. It was really clever.

How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think.

Oooooooooooook.

*facepalm*

I don't think I need to dignify your bringing Hitler into the conversation beyond laughing and pointing out that you just brought Hitler into the conversation.

Ever play D&D? Part of what makes D&D work is that there is a Dungeon Master who controls "reality" and makes the rules and makes the calls. Submitting to his "authority" is not akin to joining Nazi bootcamp.

Have you ever played a D&D or table-top RPG game in which a player is constantly questioning and undermining the DM and refuses to accept the DM's decisions? It's a miserable gaming experience and everyone is always pleased when the problem player is kicked from the group.

The IMMS here have created this game. It's their world.

THEY LET YOU PLAY IT FOR FREE. FREE!

They can do whatever they goddamn please. And so far, they're doing a good job! Otherwise, this wouldn't be the oldest, best MUD around ever, no? If submitting to their decisions is going to lead you down the path to Nazism, then please, for your own sake, be careful while playing here! I'd hate for you to become a Nazi.

jmordetsky!

We need lots of authority to make arm run the way it does. Arm couldn't exist as it is right now without a stern authoritarian hand. We'd be over run by n00bs named Destro that have giant members and icey-blue eyes.

That said, this particular issue simply cannot be addressed through policy. It would be a drain on the staff and players because 85% of the scenarios that will require some sort of judgment will not be cut and dry.

If some policy is instituted it should be for "horribly incorrect and erroneous" usage only. Reasonably subjective situations should be given a pass on principle of allow creative sdescs.

We also need to remember the effect on the application process . Not too long ago it was plausible that if you application wasn’t formatted to 80 characters per line it was rejected. Now days we’re a good deal more lenient.

On a complete side note and tangent: Not all the imms have created the game world. I’d wager to say only one or two would be honored with the title of creator. That being said they do all donate their personal time to the enrichment of it. That also being said, players do tend to donate a good deal of their personal time to the enrichment of the world and all imms were at some point, players. Good players. There’s no need for us to create large separation lines. It’s not good for the discussion.

One thing I'd like to see in arm is more people focusing on how to make the game intriguing, by fillingit with murder, betrayal, and corruption, instead of arguing about how combat isn't powerful enough.

We were discussing this today and so I was looking at the thread and decided to archive it.

If you are using an obscure word in your sdesc, whether the obscurity is due to the word being seldom used or referencing an in-game entity, please try to include something in your long description that helps other players know what the word means.

For example, "the yuku-haired man" might include a line like "His sooty black hair, colored like a yuku vine, hangs down to obscure his eyes."